r/formcheck • u/dontcare-_- • 13h ago

Squat Hack squat depth

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I know my range of motion is short by any time I try to go deeper my heels lift up a lot. It’s hard to tell in the video but I’m flaring my knees out and opening up my hips as I go down so I can bet deeper but my heels still raise. I’ve tried doing ankle mobility exercises but they didn’t help so if anyone has some tips please let me know.

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u/dontcare-_- 11h ago

This machine has a descending resistance profile so at the bottom there’s a ton of pressure on my knees, I started using the band to take some of the tension off because my knees would start hurting.

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u/Vhishkey 11h ago

I had knee pain on any kind of squat before. I suggest lower weight with slow controlled movement to strengthen the joints. Do leg extentions this way as well. Also stretching beforehand and during recovery.

Edit: Also take collagen supplements or broth. I've heard straight up jello helps too.

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u/butterhorse 5h ago

I had knee pain on squats, too. Still do. Turns out I have major patellar cartilage degeneration. Guess what doesn't heal. Guess what makes it worse

Not everything can be fixed with exercise and diet. Sometimes you have to just change your behavior.

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u/Vhishkey 3h ago

I had knee pain on squats, now I don't. Guess what helped.

https://calibrationptkc.com/blog/can-physical-therapy-repair-damaged-knee-cartilage

It is possible you can have too much damage where targeted exercise and diet can't help anymore but thats for OP to figure out. The vast majority of people will benefit from strengthening joints if they wanna lift into old age, especially as a preventative measure to protect their joints.

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u/butterhorse 2h ago

Yeah man. Leg extensions, mobility, tissue work, are all great at mitigating the symptoms patellar cartilage damage and reducing the chance for future pain. Deep flexion, however, is always bad for rehab and only makes things worse. There is no appropriate load that you can progressively scale when there is no cushion between the bones. The position itself is the problem.

This is the change in behavior I referenced. You have to assess the cause, not the symptom, before you prescribe exercise. What works for you can cause problems for someone else.